News

7 things to know before watching the Oscars

What are the chances that Sandra Bullock and "Gravity" take home Oscars? Photo: Associated Press/Warner Bros. Pictures

Will Jennifer Lawrence win back-to-back acting awards? Can Ellen DeGeneres dance without her signature loafers? We have no idea, but let us shed some light on other questions you may be pondering about Hollywood’s biggest night.

Tune in on Sunday, March 2nd on ABC at 8:30pm EST to catch all the Oscar fun.

Ken McCoy/WENN

1. Why are the Oscars so late this year?The February award show doesn’t take place until March 2nd. Why the delay? You can blame that on the Winter Olympics. They’re responsible for the early Super Bowl too.

2. Who is hosting the awards ceremony this year?Ellen DeGeneres is returning for her second year as host. Her first gig was in 2007. She may be honored with the repeat but she’s got a long way to go if she’s going for the record. Bob Hope hosted a whopping 19 ceremonies.

3. Do the underdogs have a shot this year?More than a shot. The last six Best Pictures winners have been underdogs. (Comparatively) small budgets and often unknown casts have been the sweet spot for this award for the last half decade. The Artist beat War Horse. The King’s Speech beat The Social Network. The Hurt Locker beat Avatar. If this holds true it will be bad news for “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Gravity” which cost $100 million each.

4. Can I rent any of the Best Picture nominees?Sure thing! If you’re not committed enough to go to the theater Captain Phillips, and Dallas Buyers Club are both out on video. (Dallas Buyers Club isn’t out at Redbox until after the show, but if you still have a video store they should have a few copies).

Other low profile nominees available for rental include Blue Jasmine, Before Midnight, The Croods, Despicable Me 2, All Is Lost, The Hobbit and The Great Gatsby.

5. Who are the Best Picture frontrunners?“12 Years a Slave,” “American Hustle” and “Gravity” have been picking up the top prizes at award ceremonies all season. Some believe the British Academy Film Awards are the most accurate indicator of which movie will take home the Best Picture Oscar. If that’s true, “12 Years a Slave” will win the night’s top honor.

6. Will the Oscars telecast run long?
HA! Settle in. The telecast is scheduled to run for three hours (from 8:30-11:30pm) but the average length of the telecast (based on the last ten years) clocks in at just under 3.5 hours. Set your DVRs accordingly.

7. How many of the Oscar nominated films have you seen?
The Oscars are not a popularity contest that most Americans have the opportunity to vote for. So it’s no surprise that only one in nine films up for Best Picture cracked the top ten releases.

According to IMDB.com these are the highest-grossing domestic box office nominees: